Member Comments for the Article:

Choose Olive Oil as a Healthy Alternative

Cook as the Mediterraneans Do

50 Comments

To have a balanced diet, you need to include oils. They coat your nerve cells, so they are not exposed when they shouldn't be, unnecessarily causing pain.

The conversion chart is nice, but you did not mention that you cannot bake with olive oil, and that cooking over high heat with olive oil is dangerous because it causes fires. A little more information about that would have been helpful! I hope no one gets injured after reading this, because it can happen so fast.
- 7/18/2015 10:10:18 AM

I tried using coconut oil but found I am allergic to it - I had the worst stomach cramps. So, now I am trying olive oil for the health benefits. I put my dog on coconut oil as he is diabetic and wouldn't eat, and I think was even dying. But as soon as he took the first 1/2 tsp of it, he woke up and has been like a puppy since. So, I won' t switch him to the olive oil I have AFib and am very obese so have no energy, and was told that I need to take more oils. So, we'll see how I do with the olive oil. I researched it to make sure I had the purest I could find, and Kirkland at Costco, and California Olive Ranch are the two best and purest. So, I got a bottle of the California Olive Ranch and will see how I do on that. I prefer the taste of the coconut oil, but as that isn't an option, I'll get used to the olive oil, I'm sure. .
- 6/10/2015 6:33:16 PM

I don't care what they say about it, it tastes terrible, we don't like the taste, my family won't tolerate even the light tasting olive oil. My dietitian days Canola Oil is fine, that's what we use, period. They push olive oil like Kale, also awful tasting.......... Yuck
- 5/12/2015 8:01:11 AM

I buy olive oil but didn't understand the differences. I didn't know that "light" olive oil could contain other types of vegetable oils! Now I'll look more closely at the label. Thanks!!
- 1/2/2012 11:37:51 AM

I buy my extra virgin olive oil at COSTCO. SOOOOO much cheaper then anywhere else. The only thing I don't use olive oil for is seasoning a stone wear or cast iron pan. I even FRY chicken in it. The smoke point is lower, so I cook at a lower temp. An I can use Olive oil in baking, I just use a lighter variety...like the extra light. Not as healthy as the extra virgin, but still not as bad as veggie oil. It's taken years of cooking to figure these tricks out, but they are so worth it!!!
- 3/15/2011 1:08:26 PM

I agree with Regazza_Di_Lupo. Olive oil is horrible for anything in a pan because the smoke point is so low. I use peanut or canola (peanut works especially well for stir-fry since it adds a perfect Asian flavor). The only thing I really use olive oil in is to drizzle for dipping or when I'm barely warming up veggies in a pan.

I use canola oil for almost everything (even in bread/muffin recipes that call for butter). Its flavor is far more neutral. I couldn't imagine using olive oil in a lot of things...the flavor would ruin the rest of the recipe.

And extra-virgin is EXPENSIVE! The stuff I buy is about $13!
- 8/23/2010 5:34:30 PM

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